ASD
by Graveygraves
Summary: Reid and the team investigate a case, but one of the suspects triggers him thinking about his own life. Takes a while to get to the team but needed to set the scene for the case - bear with me I hope it will be worth it. This is unbeta'd
1. Chapter 1

**ASD**

ASD stand for Autistic Spectrum Disorder – hopefully it will become clear why I choose this as a title in future chapters. Please I'm a Brit so if I have made any glaring mistakes as far as things State side please let me know and I will alter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

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It was a beautiful crisp Fall evening. October was starting to hit hard and temperatures were dropping rapidly in the race towards winter. The leaves on the ground were crisps and bright in the moonlight. The walk home was a peaceful ten minute journey. No-one was out even though it wasn't really late enough to be considered too late. The rare cloudless night sky meant that she could see every star. The added chill made her want to snuggle further in her jumper, hot chocolate at home before bed. Everything was calm and quiet.

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Charlotte didn't know what had hit her. The blow came from nowhere. She spun to look, having been unaware of anyone else in the park. Instantly Charlotte recognised him; but that just confused her more as she leant against the tree for support. Her bag dropped to the ground as she struggled to co-ordinate her body with her thoughts. Initially he stood watching her as if he was just as surprised by what he had done. Then Charlotte looked into his eyes, seeing something she had never seen before. Hate? Anger? Fury? She didn't know what but it scared her. She was opening her mouth but no sound came out as she started to move round the tree away from him. This seemed to make him laugh, however her hearing had been blurred by the blow. It was not his genuine sweet laugh that she was use to but a harsh uncaring laugh that chilled her to the very core. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Charlotte started to run, along the path by the wood, away from the playground, towards home and safety. Without any effort he kept up alongside her taunting every step she took. She knew she couldn't keep it up, she begun to stumble, her legs gave way and she hit the ground. Charlotte tried to lift herself back up but as she did another blow hit the side of her head. She rolled into a pile of crisp dry leaves. She wanted to rest in this natural bed but she knew she must get up. If she stopped now she would stay here forever. Opening her eyes he was crouched in front of her, watching intently, enjoying the moment.

Charlotte lifted herself and stumbled on trying desperately to escape. Her thumping head was beyond any pain she had ever felt before but adrenaline was forcing her to move, to will her body on. She could see her breath coming out in clouds in front of her. She knew he was still close. Close enough to touch. His unbelievable rage had been replaced and he was laughing uncontrollably at her futile efforts to get away from him. Soon she could feel the blackness coming, her body not willing to fight the pain any more. She needed to rest, to stop. However her mind was screaming: move, move, move or die. He wouldn't, surely not; he wouldn't kill her, would he? She would never suspect he was capable of such an act. She wouldn't believe anyone she knew was capable of killing. Her hands rubbed against the rough bark of a tree, she used it to steady herself. Looking up at him, her eyes pleading, she murmured:

"Please don't".

He just smiled a strange twisted smile. Charlotte slid down the tree. She knew her efforts were pointless as she groped around in the fallen leaves still trying to move. She tried to drag herself around the tree. As she disturbed the leaves their damp musky smell filled her nostrils as her laboured breath puffed out in front of her. As she started to lose consciousness memories of happier days in this very park gave her one last smile.

That was enough to trigger his rage again, he grabbed her hair and pulled her into the woods and then the blows rained down, again and again. Long after she took her last breath, once she could no longer feel the pain, he continued; only stopping when every ounce of fury left his body.

As he walked away, leaving her there, he felt satisfied, more satisfied than he had in a long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**ASD**

I chose North Carolina as the TEACCH programme, which works with Autistic children and adults, is originated and based there. It reaches out worldwide to help those with Autism in so many ways. Sorry to plug but I use the TEACCH approach daily to help Autistic children and it truly helps them to make sense of the world. Thank you.

However the town (I believe) is fictional as I wish to cause no offense to anyone.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

Sorry no team yet they are on the way promise.

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Penny and Jordan always called into the playground on their way to school. They knew they weren't supposed to but as long as they got there on time what did it matter? The two skipped through the leaves kicking them up in the air.

"Race you to the swings." Jordan called running on ahead of her twin. Getting there first she dropped her bag and jumped on to the nearest swing. Penny was soon beside her and joining in. They laughed carelessly as their long auburn hair streamed out behind them in the bright morning sunshine.

"Look" Penny called pointing on down the path they should be on to school; she jumped off mid swing and raced on in front of Jordan grabbing the bag lying in the crisp leaves by a large tree. It's blackness stark against the bright fall shades. "Oh I like!" she smiled.

"It's not yours; we need to hand it in." Jordan argued as she caught up carrying both their back packs with her.

"You're just jealous that I found it!"

"No I'm not; I just don't want you getting me into trouble, yet again. Look inside and see who it belongs too." Jordan tried to snatch the bag to look but wasn't quick enough Penny had the bag open and the wallet out.

"It's Charlotte's bag, we could drop it off on the way." With which the girls carried on their way to school.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The girls knocked simultaneously and stood smiling. They were so surprised when Mrs McLoughlin answered the door looking as if she had been crying all night long.

"You're not Charlotte." She murmured. The girls looked confused.

"No Mrs M, but we found her bag in the park." Penny offered holding up the bag she had found. Mrs McLoughlin crumpled to the floor of the hallway and howled. She had known when Charlotte did not return home something was wrong. Charlotte was a good girl she didn't stay out.

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Chief Mudd had been reluctant to start the search even with the bag being found. Yes Charlotte was 'a good girl' as her mum professed but everyone slips once in a while. Ever since the death of her husband Mrs McLoughlin had mollycoddled the girl as if her own life was reliant on her daughter. She'd probably had enough and wanted one wild night like other girls her age. He was realistic about teenagers, they drink, they experiment but if you given them safe environments and teach them control they would all come out the other side and move into adulthood the way he and his friends had done. After all it never did him any harm.

So when one of his officers called him into the woods alongside the park he was surprised. However as he approached the area dread started to fill his whole body. He slowly followed the unmistakable drag tracks in the leaves. He could see drops of dark dried liquid on the bright yellow leaves. Looking ahead he saw several of his officers standing silent in a semi circle by a large tree. He didn't want to know what they had found.

Chief Mudd had been in the job for more years than he cared to remember. He worked inner city but for the last fifteen or so years he had been in Langford, rural North Carolina. In all the years, in all the places he had never seen anything quite like this. He prided himself on the fact that he was able to face anything but right now it was taking all his concentration to keep the contents of his stomach just where he liked it. His feelings were compounded by how well he knew her; though he could barely recognise her now.

"Bastard" he swore under his breath moving away from the crowd to get some air. "Call it in I want the best out here to get the evidence we need to nail the Bastard!" he said to no one in particular. Guilt swept over him as he wandered if things would have been different if he had gone out to look for her last night when Elaine had called and reported her missing.

"Boss do you think we should let the FBI know?" asked Lenton

"What?" Mudd questioned.

"Well I was just thinking about the notice we had about the task force those profiler people are heading up after the deaths of across the local counties. This might be one of those."

"Don't be stupid. We don't need them. I know who did this and I'll have him for it if it's the last thing I do. Just get me the evidence. I'm going to bring him in." Chief Mudd stomped off towards his car. Lenton paused he didn't like going behind his boss' back but he wanted to be sure they weren't missing anything so when he called it in as well as requesting CSI support he also requested that the FBI were informed so they could make the decision for themselves if this was of interest.


	3. Chapter 3

**ASD**

Disclaimer: I own none of Criminal Minds but owe it everything. My OCs are all mine and hopefully original and believable. Let me know what you think?

Sorry about the lack of team they are on the way in the next chapter – honest.

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The loud persistent banging on the door startled him. He retreated to safety under the covers. Joey didn't like loud noises or unexpected events so the combination of the two was almost unbearable. Settling in the safe darkness he took deep breaths to steady himself. He had learnt to deal with such but needed a moment to steady himself. When he came out the banging had stopped but it had been replaced by raised voices, this worried him more; his mum didn't shout, she knew he didn't like it. Under the covers was a safer place to be right now.

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"You can't do this." Sue was almost pleading as she physically tried to stop Chief Mudd's invasion of her home; but her small frame proved futile against his burly build.

"Move out my way Sue I don't want to hurt you; but he is coming with us."

"What has he done? I don't understand. Let me help!" she begged.

"Time the boy learnt to take responsibility for his actions. I should have done this a long time ago then maybe I wouldn't be taking him in for murder." He growled at her, pushing her slightly to one side.

"Murder!" she cried grabbing his sleeve, the action was enough to slow his advance. "I don't understand my Joey is not capable of murder and you know it."

"Do I? Right now I am faced with having to tell Elaine that her daughter was beaten to death last night and your son is my prime suspect. He will come with me and answer my questions." His firm toned revelation had shocked Sue and she needed to sit down before she fell down. Dave Mudd felt her go and helped her to the bottom step of her stairs.

"Whatever made you think it's my Joey?" her voice was barely a whisper as she tried to let the news of Charlotte's murder sink in.

"We know the boy has a temper, he's more than capable. Now I assume he's upstairs still as he's not at work today." Sue nodded.

"But he wouldn't, he loved her, she treated him normal like no-one else would. He'd never hurt her."

But her words came too late they were already half way up stairs.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Over the years Chief Mudd had split up more than one fight between Joey and some other random individual from the town. He'd heard all the excuses before and he had to agree the kid was not normal. He should have done something before not just given Joey a ride home and hoped Sue would deal with him; she obviously hadn't. Opening the door he was greeted with what initially looked like an empty room.

"Joey get yourself out of that bed . . . now" his fierce order provoked a scream. "It's no good hiding boy you need to face what you have done." Mudd dragged back the duvet to see Joey shaking. By now Sue was in the room and sat by her son trying to comfort him.

"You can't do this to him. You can't treat him like this." She repeated over and over again; as Mudd and a fellow officer tried to get Joey from the bed.

"Get dressed." Mudd said throwing some clothes in his direction that he had grabbed from the wardrobe.

"No, no, no, wait, wait!" Joey shouted at them; his mind buzzing confused by what was going on. Is this what happens when you don't go to work. Mum had assured him it would be ok to take a day sick as he had a temperature when he woke this morning. He would have gone if he realised he'd be in so much trouble.

Sue was thinking fast trying to find away to help her son understand. Though he was fully verbal she knew he didn't interpret verbal instructions well; this was made worse when he was upset. She kept stroking down his back as he rocked slowly beside her; the confusion obvious on his face.

"What were you wearing last night Joey?" Mudd was looking round the room for clothes, what sort of teenager keeps his room this tidy?

"They'll be in the dirty linen, I'll get them for you as soon as I've calmed Joey. Haven't you learnt yet this is not helping, you will get nothing out of Joey like this? Leave us, I'll get him dressed and bring him down then maybe we can try again." The calm patients in Sue's voice was unbelievable, but she had long learnt that screaming and shouting helped no-one, least of all her and Joey.

"I'll give you ten then I'll be back up for him." Mudd threw at her as he turned shutting the door as they left.

"I'll try" Sue said to his back.

"Joey, Joey look at me. Chief Mudd is cross. Something bad has happened. Do you understand?" Joey nodded in response still wondering why he not being at work had made Chief Mudd so cross.

"They want to talk to you about last night." Joey just nodded again but was now more confused; he wasn't supposed to be at work last night so why did he want to talk to him about last night?

"Let's get dressed and go downstairs to talk, OK?" Sue had risen and reached for her son's hygiene work system putting changes quickly in place. "I've made some changes as you can see, we need to miss a few bits out as we have to be ready quick, OK?" Sue hated seeing Joey like this, it was rare nowadays. With schedules and work systems in place at home Joey had managed to live an increasingly independent life. She had been taught how to help him through change. In fact it was only when he came into contact with those who blatantly had no understanding of his Autism that he continued to suffer.

"I'll leave you to it." Leaving to go and find the clothes the Chief wanted Sue hoped that the system would help him now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sue handed the clothes over to Chief Mudd.

"Here."

"You left him up there on his own?" one of the other officers questioned.

"He is capable of dressing himself and me hovering over him would have only made things worse." It was obvious from her tone that Sue's patients were waning.

"I'm taking him in Sue, we're not doing this here." Dave Mudd was sorry to see the pain in Sue's face but he knew he was right.

"Please Dave, you know he's Autistic, you won't get anything out of him unless you do it right."

"He has to live in our world, no excuses." He made it obvious he wasn't going to budge.

Everyone stood in silence waiting for Joey to appear.

When he did the two supporting officers went straight towards him and grabbed his arms. This startled Joey and he lashed out in defence. Sue knew her calming words were not getting through, she reached for her instruction symbols that she kept on a key ring on her belt, showing him the stop sign was enough to save him dealing another blow.

"And you wonder why I think he is capable?" Chief Mudd knew Joey was more than capable of causing a lot of damage in a short period of time.


	4. Chapter 4

**ASD**

Sorry it's taken a while for the team to appear but I really wanted to set the scene for the case.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

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"I feel life is a journey and we all have to learn to ride the storm, for some of us it can seem more like a tidal wave, but with every storm the sun eventually comes back out."

Alyson Bradley

JJ made her way towards the conference room they were using as a temporary home, file in one hand and coffee in the other. She knew she was running late but had been caught by an agent from the local field office with fresh information. The stuff he had given her seemed to fit with their current case to her but hay she wasn't the expert, well that's what she liked the team to think. She knew she was the one working hard behind the scene, picking their cases, fielding questions and calming nerves. She smiled a little self satisfied smile, well she may as well congratulate herself, few else did, but then again none of them did it for the thanks.

"You're late" Hotch didn't even look up as she entered the room, point proven she thought to herself. Rossi gave her a look of semi sincere sympathy which she couldn't help but smirk at, seconds later she was her fully serious self and presenting the latest news to the team. As she shared the information regarding Charlotte McLoughlin's death she recognised the team's interest and guessed her intuition had been right.

"If I believed in coincidences I would say it could be one but the likelihood of a random murder so similar to the others is . . ." Rossi begun.

"There have been cases of two serial killers working in the same area at the same time with different signatures; but with such similar signatures I . . . I . . . I can't recall a single cases so can not give you a statistically probability on that one." Reid interrupted then looked a little embarrassed by not knowing the answer.

"Don't worry kid, I'll still sleep tonight without knowing." Rossi continued "So are we including this case in with the other four? It's on the edge of the Geographical profile but still within limits."

Hotch was focusing on the brief notes that JJ had passed him, he was aware that everyone's eyes were on him. "Reid you and I will take the trip to review this case while everyone else continues to work from here. If it is part of our investigation he has killed again quicker than we expected which means we need to be quick to stop it happening again. If it isn't connected then maybe we can give them an insight into their case."

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Walking into the local station heads turned to look at the strangers. One in a tailored suit the other looking like he'd walked straight off a college campus, except the fact he had a gun on his belt.

"Can I help you Sir?" asked a young male officer behind the front desk.

"I'm FBI Unit Chief Hotchner and this is Dr Reid, we'd like to speak to Chief Mudd regarding the murder of Charlotte McLoughlin." Hotch was scanning the room rather than looking at the new recruit, he didn't waste time on pleasantries, he was here to do a job.

Soon an older uniformed man was standing in front of Hotch.

"Can I help?" Mudd asked.

"I'm hoping we can help you; FBI, Agent Hotchner and Agent Reid. We received your initial notes on the murder of Charlotte McLoughlin and it shares a lot of similarities with a series of cases we are currently investigating." Hotch held the man's eye contact trying to read the man's thoughts.

"Well thank you but I'm sorry that you wasted your time travelling over here. I didn't sanction the forwarding of any information to you and I was in the process of interviewing the culprit until you interrupted, so if you don't mind . . . " Mudd had already turned his back and was walking away, failing to finish his sentence.

Hotch was not happy with this treatment, Reid shuffled nervously knowing that his boss did not tolerate such rudeness. He didn't need to wait long as Hotch took steps to catch up with the local Chief.

"Well in that case you wouldn't mind us joining you." Reid could tell by Hotch's tone that this was not a friendly request, "Obviously if the cases are connected then your suspect is of interest to us too."

Chief Mudd turned on his heels to face Hotch. Reid wanted to melt into the background, Mudd was either brave or stupid as people didn't tend to take on Aaron Hotchner, especially not in public, unless they liked personal humiliation.

"I have been in the force long enough to know how to do my job without help from you and your group of fancy mind readers. I know a guilty man when I see one and trust me I have seen plenty. I'm not some backwater cop without an idea of the big bad world out there. I did not ask for you help and certainly don't need it."

"With respect" though Hotch was getting past the point of respect, "I would like us to be able to do this without involving higher authorities and/or pulling rank. Your case relates to an FBI investigation and until I am personally satisfied that it is of no relevance to us then you have no option other than to co-operate. Do I make myself clear?" Hotch did not appreciate wasting time on want-to-be heroes. Chief Mudd glared at Hotch and reluctantly nodded, signally the way forward to the two men.

Hotch marched purposely forward. Reid gave Mudd a sympathetic smile, he had seen Hotch cut down more people with his words than he cared to remember and he guessed this wouldn't be the last time. Following behind his boss Reid tried to keep up with him. Mudd made no attempt to walk with the pair to the end of the corridor. Hotch paused waiting for Mudd to show the way.

"I should warn you now, the boy's not right . . . in the head . . . if you know what I mean." Mudd was struggling for the words to prepare them for seeing Joey. "I've know Joey from a young age, he's had a lot of help and support but he's not got better. He's Autistic."

Hotch glared.

"Thank you for your insight but if we get to the interview room we can make our own judgements." Hotch had wasted enough time, he was tired and if this was related to the other cases he wanted to get on.

Reid considered sharing a range of facts relating to the various mental health issues of serial killers but decided from the look on Hotch's face silence was better for his mental health.

"This way then" and Mudd lead them into an observation room. "You can stay here."


	5. Chapter 5

**ASD**

Disclaimer: Only the ideas are mine.

Thank you so much to everyone has read and reviewed – I truly appreciate the advice I have been given. I have only just started my writing journey all your words are fuel.

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Looking into the interview room Hotch and Reid saw the scared teenager. He was huddled into the side of a woman they assumed to be his mother. He was rocking slowly; as his mother tried desperately to comfort and calm him. Sitting silently opposite was Lenton, an officer in his mid thirties. Mudd entered the room and leaned over the officer. Hotch and Reid both assumed that the Chief was letting the officer know the FBI were watching.

Reid was twitching beside Hotch, completely unable to stand still.

"What is it?" Hotch asked, when he could no longer stand the distraction of his movements.

"Well I was thinking about links that have been made between Autism and Serial Killers. It has been suggested that some serial killers exhibit charactistics of Aspergers' Syndrome, which is commonly viewed as the milder form of Autism." Reid Paused briefly to see if Hotch was going to let him continue, when Hotch didn't interrupt Reid continued. "Jeffery Dahmer; convicted of serially killing and cannibalising young boys was said to exhibited signs of ASD from his earliest years. As a child, he showed poor eye contact, lack of emotional facial expressions, had a rigid body posture and gait, and was isolated, socially inept, and viewed as emotionally disconnected. He also strongly disliked change and was highly ritualistic and obsessive; including the collection of bones and dead animal. All of these traits can be signs of ASD." Hotch nodded as he watched the way Mudd was interrogating the suspect. Reid interpreted this as a sign to continue. "Then there's Theodore Kaczynski, the 'Unabomber', who killed three people and wounded dozens by sending them mail bombs. It was noted that Kaczynski was aloof and could not understand the feelings of others. He had an aversion to being touched and experienced extreme distress when exposed to noise, both common reactions in children with Autism. A neighbour was quoted to describe the young Kaczynski as 'a child who was an old man before his time'. Kaczynski's preoccupations with bomb-making and the perceived evils of technology; could be viewed as typical of the obsessive interests of a person with ASD." Reid was enjoying being able to share his extensive knowledge without interruption and teasing from the likes of Morgan.

They stood in silence watching the scene in front of them, trying to pick up silent clues. Mudd had sat down opposite Joey and his mother. He had explained that the FBI were here and because of this he was going to start the interview again.

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"Joey what did you do last night?" Mudd asked as calmly as he could, drawing on every possible element of control he had.

Joey looked at his mother.

"He's already told you he went to the cinema with Charlotte, they go every Tuesday. They are good friends and Tuesday tickets are cheaper." Sue sighed as she finished.

"With respect Sue you are not here to answer for Joey. Please be quiet or I will have to ask you to leave. Joey must answer for himself." Dave Mudd noticed Joey grab his mother's arm as he'd made the comment about her leaving.

"Joey, where were you last night?" Mudd repeated.

Joey looked at his mother for reassurance; she nodded silently and passed him a strip of card.

"Cinema"

"Ok, who did you go with?" Sue rolled her eyes at his questions; he knew the answers why were they going over everything time and time again.

"Charlotte"

"What did you do after the film?"

"Milkshake"

Reid noticed that the suspect was moving small symbols from the coloured strip in front of him. One symbol for each question he answered.

"Then?"

"Home" the final small square was removed from the strip.

"Ok, did you walk Charlotte home?"

Joey seemed confused. He paused looking at the blank strip in front of him as if waiting for an answer to appear.

"Did you walk her home?" Mudd repeated

"Wait, wait" Joey had started rocking again, as if buying time to process the question.

"It's a simple enough question. Did you walk her home?" Mudd's voice was rising.

"No, no, no, stop, stop. Park. Park. Walk in Park"

"You took her for a walk in the park. The same park that we found her dead body in." Mudd smirked.

Joey looked startled, dead, did he say dead. Who was dead? Joey looked at his mother for an explanation. She was crying, he knew that meant she was sad. Who was dead? If he didn't know who was dead how could he help. There were no dead people in the park last night, just him and Charlotte.

"Why did you kill Charlotte?" Mudd was perfectly calm now, like a predator circling its prey.

Charlotte, Charlotte was dead! No she was alive; he saw her walk down the path towards her house last night. She was alive, smiling, waving.

"No, no, no, stop, stop." Joey knocked his chair over as he shot up. "Wait, wait, wait. STOP, STOP." He was shouting uncontrollably as he backed himself into the corner of the room, feeling something he has never felt before. He didn't understand. Was Charlotte dead? How could he help? Charlotte was alive when he saw her.

. . . . . . . . .

"What do you know about interview techniques that might help us get an answer here?" Hotch aimed his question at Reid. "I don't know how long they have had him in there but they are not getting anything. He's just getting more and more distressed." Hotch was concerned by what he saw in front of him, regardless of the guilt of the suspect no-one should be treated like this.

Reid moved forward and peered through the window as if seeing the scene fully for the first time.

"I would speak to the mother. She will know what works best for her son. You see Autism is on a Spectrum, each individual is at a different point along that spectrum and therefore need individualised programmes of support to access daily life." Reid was watching intently now looking at the symbols the woman held. "Though he may be verbal he may use an alternative for of communication in difficult situations, stress makes verbal communication more difficult to process."

"Right I'm putting a stop to this right now. We need to talk this through before it goes any further. I want all the information they have on this suspect. He doesn't fit our profile."

Hotch left the room then Reid saw him suddenly appear in the interview room. The look on Mudd's face was clear enough for even Reid to interpret. He was not happy.


	6. Chapter 6

**ASD**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

Haven't done much case fic – let me know what you think – feedback is the only way to improve.

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Hotch and Reid sat in silence studying the files in front of them. Both were completely oblivious to the daggered look they were receiving from the local chief of police.

"The violence in Charlotte's death is notably more ferocious then the pervious murders. However other than that the vicitimology fits, as does the general MO." Reid was thinking out loud. "Though Joey doesn't fit the profile." He looked up his boss.

"I think we should get the rest of the team over here." With which Hotch opened his phone to make the call.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Reid nervously entered the room. He was glad that Hotch had given him the opportunity to speak to Joey and his mother. Yet it was still a task he didn't want to do. Sitting down opposite the pair Reid found it difficult to make eye contact. He was fiddling nervously with his hair as he introduced himself.

"I'm . . . I'm . . . Dr Spencer Reid . . . Dr Reid. I'm with the FBI . . . I'm an agent with the FBI." He suddenly realised how he relied on others to introduce him.

"Doctor. Is he going to make me better? So I can go to work. Then I won't be in trouble with Chief Mudd." Joey looked at his mother. She shook her head. She was tired and worried. Sue was struggling to keep going. She had learnt over the years how draining it can be to have an autistic son. The lack of sleep, the constant need to be organised and ready; but nothing had prepared her for the additional strain of this.

"Mrs Cooper is there any way I can help Joey to understand what is going on?" Reid didn't understand why Joey thought this was something to do with him not being at work. However he knew that unless they could help him understand what was happening then it wouldn't help anyone. He personally knew what it was like when he was unable to think straight because some small detail was worrying him. It would stop him from seeing the bigger picture.

Sue smiled for the first time that day; someone on their side. She looked at the young man in front of her; his lack eye contact, his nervousness, the way he organised the objects in front of him. She wondered if he knew how it felt to view the world differently to others. Just like her son did.

"Joey, I am going to explain to Dr Reid how I help you. Then hopefully Dr Reid will help us to explain to Chief Mudd what has happened. OK?" Sue had a finger under Joey's chin. Joey nodded.

"Dr Reid, Joey, as I'm sure you're aware, is Autistic. We have had great support from Division TEACCH, which has helped us learn ways to make life as easy for Joey as possible. He's still young but each year he is moving on, adapting his schedules and systems. This year he has been working part time in the library. Essential life skills, making him independent, that's my hope, my dream for Joey. Day in and day out he does well, but if he gets stressed then it all breaks down. I like Chief Mudd, he has been good over the years, and I don't know why he is doing this to Joey. However the longer we are here the harder it is to keep Joey calm." Reid noticed how Sue started rubbing Joey's back again, not gently as he had imagined earlier but with some force. It seemed to help as Joey stayed calm and still.

Reid was intrigued by all the symbols and lists around Sue and Joey. He had read about Autism, he'd read about most things. He had read a lot about ASD and different theories of how best to help Autistic people. He'd read about schedules and how visual information was a lot easier to take on then verbal.

"Would it be better if I wrote my questions down rather than asked Joey?"

"He should be fine while he's calm to answer your questions, but take your time, Joey likes thinking time." Sue liked Dr Reid; she had warmed to his caring nature.

"Joey, can you tell me about Charlotte?" Reid wanted to avoid the questions that had been asked earlier by the chief.

"Charlotte is nice, she's my friend. She likes me, helps me with my schedule. We go to the cinema every Tuesday, unless one of us is sick, then we can't go." Reid nodded at Joey's answer. He knew how important it was to have someone who understands you. Someone who accepts you as you are, just as JJ did him.

"Did she have any other friends, people she liked?" Reid knew that Joey could be a potential mine of information on Charlotte. He would pay attention to her, listen to what she had to say. If Charlotte knew her killer Joey may know him too.

"Charlotte had lots of friends, she was nice to people. She smiled lots."

"Did anyone not like Charlotte?"

"No" Joey was quick and defensive in his answer.

"Joey last night in the park before you said bye to Charlotte, did you see anyone?"

"No"

"Did you hear anything? Take your time Joey think about it." Joey was the only possible witness. Joey thought for a while, while he was thinking Sue took his hands into hers and again applied pressure, squashing his hands between hers.

"Leaves, the leaves were noisy; on the trees and on the floor. There was lots of crunching when we walked and when we stopped. Crunch, crunch, crunch." Joey's feet moved as he spoke.

"You could still hear the leaves crunching when you stopped walking?" Reid questioned.

"Yes, by the tree. Crunch, crunch, crunch. They were quieter but still crunch, crunch, crunch."

Someone was by the tree. Someone was watching them. Had they been followed from the cinema or did the killer know their routine? If he knew the routine he knew Charlotte and Joey. That made this kill personal. This could mean one of two things. This was an unrelated case or Charlotte had been the focus of the serial killer and the other kills were building up to her.

While Reid sat there thinking, Sue watched. She wondered how aware Dr Reid was of the traits he had. She wandered how he had coped through life and if anyone had ever suggested the possibility of him being on the spectrum. Not like her Joey, he was far more high-functioning then Joey. That was why she assumed he'd never had been or would be diagnosed. How bright he obviously was most people would assume he was just a little eccentric.

. . . . . . . . . . .

On his way back to Hotch Reid stopped off in the bathroom. Washing his face briefly with cold water he looked into the mirror, staring deeply at nothing. He didn't know why he had felt so uncomfortable in the interview but he had. Yet he was fascinated at the same time. So much of what Mrs Cooper had explained to him made such sense to him. It mirrored things he did to make his own life easier. He'd learned to cope; he'd had to with his mum. Order and organisation were the only way he had got through. Had the organisation made him what he was or had he needed the organisation to access life. Reid splashed his face again; he'd spent too long analysing himself. He needed to focus on the case. There would be time for his thoughts when this was all over.


	7. Chapter 7

**ASD**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

Haven't done much case fic – let me know what you think – feedback is the only way to improve. Extra thanks to everyone who has given me useful and constructive advice. It is truly appreciated.

. . . . . . . . . .

JJ picked up the vibe straight away; as she and the rest of the team walked into the building. She had some work to do here. She was use to clearing up after Hotch's no nonsense approach to establishing community links.

"Nothing like a warm welcome." Morgan stated taking his sunglasses off and looking at the room of blank faces staring at the team.

"And this is nothing like a warm welcome." Rossi added drily from behind his colleague.

JJ stepped forward offering her hand to the young officer still on the front desk. The officer looked at her hand as if she was offering something toxic. He even wrinkled his nose for added effect.

"I'm Agent Jareau, FBI liaison officer. We're here to help with the murder of Charlotte McLoughlin." She added her most genuine smile. The officer still didn't take her offered hand he just turned and called back to his chief. Then he busied himself with some paper shuffling. "Great" JJ muttered to herself.

As the Chief made his way through the open office area to the team the look on his face spoke a thousand words. The team shared knowing looks. They were about as welcome as the plague right now. JJ stepped forward and repeated her introduction. For the second time that day her hand was refused as the Chief of police studied the four people standing in front of him.

"This way." With which he turned assuming they would follow. Prentiss raised a perfectly arched brow letting JJ through in front of her then she followed with Rossi and Morgan behind her.

Entering the smallest room they had ever been given, the four shuffled round the edge of the central desk that Hotch had taken over. There was an open file in front of Hotch, which he was studying intently. Though the team guessed he knew the contents off by heart already. Mudd left them to it, he'd heard enough of the profilers views today. Reid was tucked away in the corner, studying the mug in his hands. Caffeine o'clock the others assumed.

"Cosy" Rossi commented "Good job we're all friends. So what have you two done to make us so popular here?" Hotch barely lifted his head in acknowledgement of the arrival of the rest of his team.

"The Chief believes we are interfering with his case."

"And you two disagree?" Rossi questioned. Hotch glared up at him as Reid gave a 'don't blame me' look, as he huddled over his mug of coffee in the corner.

"The vicitimology and the general MO matched all the other murders. It fits our geographical profile. The problem is Chief Mudd has a suspect in that he is convinced did this, but he doesn't fit our profile."

"It wouldn't be the first time a profile has been inaccurate. After all we are making educated guesses." Rossi, one of the founder profilers, was realistic about these things.

"I know but this feels like a personal crusade against the suspect. It is like he has been waiting for a crime to fit him." Rossi raised a brow at Hotch's summary.

"So . . ."

"So we work the case as part of our investigation as impartial outsiders. If the Chief is right then we may well have found our UnSub, if he's wrong then hopefully we can help point them in the right direction." Hotch looked round his team, he had a lot of faith in them. They had never let him down before; he had no reason to believe they would now.

"Please tell me you haven't been so direct in telling the locals they are wrong?" JJ ventured.

"No, I was saving that for the team. Reid has been working on presenting the profile, including speaking with the suspect and his mother. Alongside the facts he has I am hoping we can convince them." They all shared a look, what had their boss got them into this time. Whatever ever it was they would follow his lead. His instinct was usually right and that was good enough for them.

. . . . . . . . . .

Reid wriggled nervously at the front. Knowing any minute Hotch would pass the limelight onto him and the whole room of eyes would focus squarely on him made him feel increasing uncomfortable. He hated presenting to strangers, but knew once he got into the flow of facts he could hide, safely and securely buried in knowledge. Stepping forward as Hotch introduced him he took a deep breath.

"The suspect has a diagnosis of Autism. This is a neurological based disorder. 2010 statistics show incidences of ASD in children to be 1 in 110. Autistic Spectrum Disorders or ASD affects individuals in different ways. As it is a spectrum it depends where along the line the individual is as to how severely they are affected. There are seven main areas which people with ASD are viewed to difficulty with. First Social Interactions, they can find social situations very difficult, may appear awkward, aloof, inappropriate." Reid gulped for another breath before continuing, awkward in social situations, know the feeling he thought. "Second is communication difficulties, 40% of people with ASD are non-verbal. However it is important to remember with people like Joey, who are verbal, their receptive language is functioning at a lower level then their expressive language. This is opposite to that of 'typically' developed adults. This may well explain the difficulties in interviewing him."

Morgan watched his younger colleague. He wondered at times if Reid was talking more from experience then he cared to share. He may be a genius but there were things the kid just didn't get. As he shuffled nervously at the front his eyes darted around the room. Never settling on anyone but always hovering just above head height. Reid sure knew how to make the right impression but if you knew him well you knew his avoidance strategies.

"Third is the need for sameness and predictability. Routines are important. Fourth is extremes in sensory processing; they may extremely sensitive too or completely insensitive to any of the senses; hearing, touch, smell could cause extreme reactions or the opposite a complete under reaction."

"Have you got a point?" someone heckled from the back. Reid frowned as he searched the room trying to source the interruption.

Morgan pulled himself up to his full impressive height next to Reid.

"The point is he is trying to educate you as to why the kid you have in the cells may not be the criminal here." Morgan glared at the offending officer who had physically shrunk into his seat. JJ winced, how to make friends and influence people. Usually Morgan helped her to charm the locals not agitate them some more.

"As I was saying, there are other areas, including difficulties that affect their ability to generalise skills, problems with organisation, also difficulties with attention." Reid had lost his flow and was struggling to regain it. He hated being interrupted. "There have been links made between ASD and serial killers. The general perception is that those serial killers that have appeared to be on the spectrum tend to be towards the milder end of the spectrum, what is often called Aspergers' Syndrome. Joey is highly Autistic, speaking to his mother," he heard a tut, "Speaking to his mother he needs a lot of daily support and routine. The whole experience of murdering a person he could class as a friend in such a violent way would have been so out of routine it would have caused Joey a great deal of distress. In addition to this it would have caused sensory overload. The likelihood of Joey being guilty is very low." Reid could tell what he had said had not impressed the onlookers. Hotch stepped forward to take over. Reid slumped back into a corner glad to be out of the spotlight. JJ put her hand over his and squeezed it gently; she knew how hard he found that part of his job. Reid appreciated the action, it felt good.

"The evidence collect so far does not support a conviction and an ex prosecutor I would not take this case on. Joey's clothes are clean, if he had done this they would be covered in blood. The footprints found at the scene do not match anything Joey owns. As I'm sure you are aware in the time you have had Joey in here, he is extremely sensitive to sound. He would not have been able to bare her screams and she would have screamed initially. He is routine driven; he is motivated to complete the routine he has established. At that point of the evening his routine was to go home, he would have done." Hotch's stern look and matter of fact way left the room silent.

"The lad has a temper." Chief Mudd piped up. "We've all seen it. He's got in fights." Reid was quick to interrupt him this time.

"How much bullying does a person take before they fight back? If people are constantly teasing him, doing things they know wind him up to get a reaction then a reaction is what they are going to get. Getting into a fight with the town bully doesn't make a person capable of murder." The team were surprised by the venom in the normally calm and placid Dr Reid. Morgan decided he would watch him carefully on this one. He had an idea of what Reid had gone through at high school, maybe this was a little closer to home then anyone realised.

"Ok bad example, but he has a temper. What if he tried it on? She said no, he loses it. Possible? I know how tough it is to get knocked back when you're normal, is he going to understand her turning him down?" Chief Mudd wasn't going to give up on this one easily.

"I think you are missing the point. You are trying to give a motive to a person that doesn't fit the information we have. I am sorry to tell you that we think you are wrong. If you let us help then hopefully we can find the killer. I personally believe the killer is someone from this community, just not Joey. Listen to our profile see if it helps." Rossi had stepped forward trying to take some of the pressure off Hotch, who was locked into a battle of wills with the brash local. Chief Mudd shook his head and sighed. Rossi took that as permission to give the profile.

"We set up a task force after four similar murders in the counties to the east of here. Each of the victims is a girl in her late teens, bright grade A student. All have been of a similar build and height to Charlotte. Their hair and eye colour match. However none of the other girls were killed quiet as brutally as Charlotte." Rossi took a step back as Prentiss moved forward to continue.

"The escalation in the attack could indicate two things. One he needs increasing levels of violence to get off or that Charlotte was his original victim and all the other girls were a practice. If this is true the UnSub is someone who knows Charlotte well."

"Like Joey." Mudd couldn't help throwing it in, to which Prentiss just gave him one of her killer looks.

"The person we are looking for would have been fixated on Charlotte." Morgan continued "Sent her gifts, spent time with her. He would in his head believe they were dating. Her spending time with Joey would be enough to spark the sort of jealous fury that we call a stressor. You need to think about locals who took an interest in Charlotte but who travel as part of their job. This job may have only started just over six months ago, when the murders started. The Unsub may view his travelling as part of the reason for problems in his 'relationship' with Charlotte, hence taking it out on girls like Charlotte in the places he visits."

"We need to talk to Charlotte's mother. She may be aware of any unwanted attention she was receiving." JJ requested.

"But for now I think you should release Joey." Hotch added. Chief Mudd nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**ASD**

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

I'd like to thank everyone who is following the story – a special thank you to those who have let me know what they think so far.

Sorry this chapter's a bit short but it got so long I had to split it. I will post the next chapter as soon as I have edited it.

. . . . . . . . . .

JJ hated this part of her job more than anything. However JJ was a 'people person' and Hotch considered her one of the best. Comforting as it was to know your boss has faith in you; it doesn't help when facing a mother who has just lost her only child and was now alone in the world. JJ tried hard not to imagine how she would feel if anything ever happened to Henry.

"You ok?" Morgan questioned, as he paused before knocking.

"Yeah, guess it doesn't get any easier." JJ put her sympathetic smile back on her face and prepared to meet the grieving mom. Morgan knocked and they waited for what seemed forever. Slowly the door opened, just a crack, as if the owner was trying to keep the world out.

"Mrs McLoughlin? I'm Special Agent Jareau and this is Special Agent Morgan. We're with the FBI. We're sorry to intrude at such a time but would like to talk to you about Charlotte." She paused allowing Elaine McLoughlin to look at their IDs. "It may help us to capture the person who did this."

Elaine moved to one side. She opened the door fully and welcomed the two agents into her house without saying a word. She led them through to a lived in lounge. It was comfy and welcoming; obviously a place they had spent a lot of time together. On the mantel were dozens of family photos; mum, dad and a young girl, all smiling happily. JJ looked at the women in front of her now, a mere shadow of the person in pictures. Having lost her husband and now her daughter the grief was obviously becoming overbearing. Elaine stood watching the two agents.

"Can I contact anyone for you? Is there anyone that can come to help?" JJ was worried about leaving her alone, before they had even started interviewing her. Elaine shook her head slowly. Was she really that isolated? Was there no-one? Elaine slumped into a chair and then as an afterthought indicated that the agents should sit too.

"We need to talk to you about Charlotte and her friends. Please try a think of all the people she knew. This may be difficult but we believe she knew her killer." Derek Morgan was equally as good at being sensitive as he was at being the tough guy. "We need to get a picture of how she lived her life. Who was important to her? Who would have considered her important to them?" Elaine was nodding slowly. "Would it be OK for us to look at Charlotte's room? Then we need to ask you some questions. If that's OK with you?" Elaine rose silently and walked towards the door. Morgan and Jareau followed, taking it as a silently agreement to their request.

. . . . . . . . . .

Morgan looked into the room as Elaine opened the door. He slowly stepped inside. He disliked looking into the privateness of another person's room, but knew it was an essential part of his job. Yet it seemed so intrusive.

JJ put a hand on Elaine's arm leading her back downstairs. They left Morgan to work alone.

The room was immaculate; more that of a young woman than a teenager. This girl was mature, even old before her time. The bedding was floral and all the trimmings very girly. He wondered if Elaine was trying to keep her daughter a young girl rather than a young woman. On the tidy desk were a laptop, notepads and folders. Flicking through the papers Morgan saw a girl who diligently took notes and worked hard. She deserved the good grades she got. Opening up the laptop and his phone simultaneously he called Garcia.

"Office of all that is wonderful and reserved especially for you," chirped Garcia, Morgan couldn't help but smile.

"Silly girl, time for work not play. I have the laptop of a seventeen year old girl in front of me. How do I get into it quickly? Then once I do how do I get you into it?"

"Well obviously Hot stuff you switch it on, enter the password and leave the rest to me."

"Thank you smartarse, any hints on a password?" Morgan hadn't got time for this but he couldn't get cross with her.

"Cute, I prefer the description cute arse. You're the profiler, what does the room tell you?"

"Not much, it's not what I would call personalised." Morgan glanced round again in case he had missed anything.

"OK so no posters, let's try the other favourites; pets?"

"No."

"Date of birth?"

"No, just tried it."

"Family?"

"Only Mum, Dad died a little while back."

"Go with Dad's name or date of birth or something."

"Can you help me with that? I haven't got Reid's memory."

"Dad's name: John Paul."

"Thank you and we are in. What do I do now?"

"Leave it to me; I'll get back to you if I find anything." With which she was gone to remotely access the laptop and search its contents for the team.

Morgan tried placing everything back as he had found it. He knew Charlotte's mother would come here to fine comfort in the coming months. He wanted to try and leave the room untouched, authentic, and as it was when Charlotte was last here. Slowly he closed the door and went to find JJ.

. . . . . . . . . .

JJ had been talking to Elaine about Charlotte, her routines and friendship. She taken copious notes and was ready to feedback to the team. There were a couple of possible leads. Morgan quietly joined the two women.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"If it helps," Elaine's voice had added strength that hadn't been there when they arrived.

"It does, honest. We will take back the information to our team and go from there."


	9. Chapter 9

**ASD**

Quiet weekend so I have been able to get a second chapter edited over the weekend. I will hopefully post again next weekend.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review, especially those who have given me pointers to improve. This is the first time I have tried a longer more serious story and I appreciate the advice.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

. . . . . . . . . .

Once back at the base the team, including Garcia, gathered to feed back what they had found out. They knew they were looking for a way forward. JJ and Morgan both agreed that they had a possible suspect from their conversation with Mrs McLoughlin. JJ stood comfortably in front of her colleagues. She was ready to share with them what Mrs McLoughlin had told her.

"Mrs McLoughlin is very fragile. She and Charlotte were extremely close. The advantage of this is that they shared everything. Charlotte held no secrets from her mother," JJ began.

"Oh come on everyone has secrets," Rossi huffed.

"Not in a small town; your business is everyone's business. Trust me I know," JJ continued. "Charlotte was doing well with her studies. She was a grade A student, but worked hard to get the grades. Charlotte was serious about her studies. She hoped to become a doctor. Charlotte made friends easily. She was popular at school and had no enemies. Anyone you speak to only has good things to say about her. Charlotte was a valued member of the community. She would help out others; babysitting, shopping runs, house sitting, chores. She never asked for anything in return. Charlotte was a kind and generous person by nature."

"She sounds too good to be true," Rossi interrupted.

JJ carried on ignoring his comments, "She knew Joey well; they had grown up together. They went to school together. Charlotte accepted Joey as he was. He was just Joey to her. Her mum said they were close and always had been."

Joey; as soon as Reid heard the name his mind started to wander. He knew he needed to focus, but Joey had really got under his skin. Reid was really worried about Joey. He had just lost his best friend. Charlotte was the one person who accepted him for who he was, regardless. Reid looked up at JJ and tried to imagine how he would cope with losing her. She had never judged him. She was always there for him. Would he be able to express how he felt? He wanted to reach out to Joey. To help him but he didn't know how. Every day the team reached into the minds of criminals. Yet they didn't use the same skills to help the victims, those left in the wake of the killers they caught. Who was there for them?

"Charlotte was helping one neighbour, Matthew Clark, with his child care arrangements," Morgan had taken over from JJ. "He is a travelling sales rep for a camping supplies company. Matthew was Langford born and bred but left when he went to university. He returned twelve months ago; after his wife suddenly lost her battle with cancer. Matthew has a thirteen year old daughter, Natasha. Charlotte would stay with Natasha when Matthew was away on business."

Reid stared in the direction of Morgan, but his focus was a million miles away. Was he similar to Joey? Joey's mother had seemed to suggest he was. He agreed that he found social situations very difficult; which is an ASD trait. Strangers made him uncomfortable. He never knew if he was reacting correctly or not. Teachers had described him as awkward; but he was a child in a teenagers' world at school. Wouldn't this explain the difference between himself and those he went to school with? Though, even now, as an adult, his behaviour wasn't always viewed as appropriate by others. Morgan had more than once reined him back in mid flow; as he had misread the social clues. Reid knew he was a little 'over enthusiastic' at times; was there really anything wrong in that? Studying psychology he hoped he would learn more about behaviour and be able to applying it to himself. He admitted he was a loner. He had few friends. Yet he never felt he had much need for the company of others. Plus he enjoyed the company of the friends he had, so why look for others? Much like Joey, he suspected.

"Charlotte's mother, Elaine, has told us about gifts that Mathew had started to buy for her. Each trip the gift has got more expensive. The last being a new laptop." Morgan was still sharing the information he and JJ had got.

Reid was still miles away, deep in thought. He was certain that no-one could doubt his verbal communication skills. Yet he knew he struggled with some elements of language. He rarely got jokes, idioms and sarcasm; which is another trait of ASD. This was something Morgan always played on when he was teasing him.

Hotch was thanking Morgan and JJ for interviewing Elaine McLoughlin.

Reid was now working his way through each of the traits mentally. Routines; he wasn't overtly rigid in his ways. He had learnt not to be at a young age. His mother had taught him that life wasn't predictable. His job had confirmed it. At least that was one trait he could cross off.

Garcia was busy informing everyone about Matthew Clark's job. She had busied herself tracking his movements and recent business trips. He was in the right places at the right time.

Reid thought about his sensory responses. Joey had seemed so sensitive to his surroundings. Sue, his mum, had mentioned how he disliked sudden loud noises, Reid could empathise with that. In fact Reid knew he was extremely affected by noise, especially if he needed to concentrate. Joey's Mum had also explained about the deep pressure input she gave to Joey. She called it squashing him. Reid thought about how it calmed him when JJ had squeezed his hand. That felt good. Reid knew that Joey and him were worlds apart, yet connected in so many ways. He was really starting to empathise with Joey on so many levels. He wanted to help him more now than ever.

"I think we have a possible suspect." Hotch was drawing the discussion to an end. "Does anyone else have anything we can use?"

Reid didn't have anything to add. A new suspect didn't interest him. He was becoming obsessed with Joey and ASD. Was he on the spectrum? He didn't meet every trait. He could generalise his skills. He was organised; as long as he had his lists. His attention; well usually it was second to none. In fact he prided himself on his attention to detail. This had stopped him seeing the bigger picture at times. Another ASD trait he thought.

A new suspect had emerged. He fitted the profile, had motive and opportunity. Now they had to work out how they told the Chief and his staff who the new suspect was and why he was a better candidate then Joey.

"Reid," Hotch's voice snapped Spencer back out of his thoughts. "I'd like you to come with me to speak to Chief Mudd." Reid nodded. He had no idea why Hotch had chosen him and what help he could be.

The team split and Morgan blocked Reid's exit.

"You OK kid?" concern clear on his face.

Reid nodded and shrugged at the same time. Then he slinked his way round Morgan, avoiding his gaze.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Chief Mudd looked at the FBI agents sat in front of him in disbelief. He couldn't quiet process what was being said to him. He looked over at the awkward, scrawny kid sitting next to the unit chief. What did he know? He was barely old enough to hold a badge let alone have the experience needed to make the kind of statements he was coming out with. Mudd could feel his blood boiling.

"You want me to seriously believe that a well respected member of this community is not only capable of savagely murdering his babysitter but has equally beaten four other women to death?" Mudd spat at the two agents.

"I understand that this news may have come as a surprise to you. However I'm sure you would not be surprised to know how often we have heard that our UnSub is the last person that anyone suspected." Hotch had guessed that what they had to say was not going to go down well, but he wasn't in this job to make friends. Reid sat uncharacteristically silent next to Hotch, not able to fully focus on the investigation any longer. Since he had met Joey and his mother something was gnawing away at him. He had so many questions but no one to ask.

"So convince me. If we are going to bring in Matthew Clark I want proof."

"Matthew moved back here with his daughter after losing his wife. As a single parent with a job that involved travelling; he needed help to bring up his daughter. I know how hard it can be to have to bring up a child on your own. You have to rely on others in a way you wouldn't normally. Matthew soon became emotionally reliant on Charlotte. The more she helped, the more she supported him, the more he saw her as a replacement for his late wife."

"Jealousy is a strong emotion," Reid chipped in. "He would have seen her relationship with Joey as a threat. He may even have viewed her as having an affair with Joey."

"So why not kill Joey? It would make sense to get rid of the competition." Mudd wasn't easily convinced.

"If he couldn't have her then no one could." The cold stare in Hotch's eyes sent shivers down Mudd's spine.

"Have you got any evidence?"

"Nothing physical until we get to his house, hopefully we'll find something there." Hotch wanted to get moving. Now!


	10. Chapter 10

**ASD**

Thank you to everyone who is reading this and even bigger thanks to those who have taken the time to review. It means so much.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas.

. . . . . . . . .

Sat in the interview room Hotch and Morgan watched the grief stricken man sitting opposite them. Had they made a mistake? His eyes were red raw. Morgan thought he actually looked worse than Mrs McLoughlin.

"Mr Clark, we'd like to talk to you about the night Charlotte was killed," Hotch started. Matthew Clark nodded.

"Where were you?" Morgan was ready to get to the point.

"At . . . at home . . . at home with my daughter," he gulped.

"All night?" Morgan raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting I would leave my daughter on her own?"

"Did you?" Morgan observed the change in Clark's eyes. Sadness had been rapidly replaced by anger.

"I loved Charlotte; I would never have hurt her. What sort of monster do you think I am? Who can beat a young girl to death with their bare hands?"

"You loved her?" Hotch chipped in, his piercing eyes sharply focused on Clark.

"Don't twist my words. She helped me out; she was great with 'Tasha. Don't make it sound dirty when it could have been so perfect."

"If Joey hadn't got in the way, huh?" Now Morgan was convinced the team was right, yet again.

"That boy was not right for her. She deserved someone who would look after her. Not someone that needed looking after." Clark's voice was steady and calm; a world apart from the man who had walked into the interview room moments earlier. His mood had been quick to change.

"And you could offer her that." It was Hotch's turn now. Clark nodded.

"I've got a little boy. My wife's sister looks after him when I'm away. I don't know what I'd do without her." Hotch wanted to gain his confidence.

"So you understand." Clark shot a look at Morgan, making it clear that he wasn't going to talk to him any longer. Morgan rested back in his chair. He knew what Hotch was doing.

"She spends so much time at mine she might as well move in. Make it official." Hotch continued.

"That's just what I said to Charlotte." There was keenness to his voice.

"But she won't. There is always an excuse." Hotch had him on the hook and was slowly reeling him in. Clark was just nodding, his eyes glazed as if he was a million miles away. Remembering, dreaming.

"I get so cross with her. It would make it so much better for Jack. We could be a family." Hotch was leaning forward as if he was sharing a secret with Clark.

"My point precisely, it's so frustrating. I'm a reasonable man. I wasn't asking much. 'Tasha has been through so much, she deserves a stable life." Clark was relaxed now. He smiled at Hotch. Hotch slowly smiled back.

"And if you can't live with her why should anyone else?" Hotch had the look of a hunter with the prey in sight. Morgan leaned forward; it was his turn to smile.

"Were the others practice or were you trying to find an alternative to Charlotte?" Morgan knew Hotch had got Clark's guard down. It was worth a shot.

"There is no replacement for Charlotte! None of them were good enough." The look on Clark's face as he finished his sentence showed he knew he'd been caught out.

. . . . . . . . . .

Reid had stayed in the office. He didn't feel the need to sit watching the interview. He'd lost interest. He was preoccupied with thoughts of Joey. He didn't want to leave without offering his help. He sat in front of his laptop staring at the blank screen; trying to work out where to start to get his mind back on track. He kept running over the conversation he had had with Joey's mum after the interview. She had seen something in him, she told him so. Was she right? Was he 'on the spectrum'?

"You ok?" Reid hadn't heard JJ enter the room, so was startled by her caring words.

"Do you think it's important to always have an explanation? Do we need to fully understand everything?"

"Whoa, why not ask me something easy like the meaning of life?"

Reid looked up at JJ, perplexed by her joke.

"Sorry," the look on his face made JJ feel awful, "I'd love to help but not sure I understand your question. How about you tell me what is bothering and I see if I can keep up."

"If Henry had something wrong with him, what would you do?"

JJ raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Joey, the original suspect, he's autistic. I have read a lot about the Autistic Spectrum but never met anyone with Autism before. I have so many questions that I have lost focus. His mother was amazing she had all these systems and ways of organising his life, it made so much sense."

JJ was concerned for her friend but didn't really know what to say.

"As a mother I know I would do anything to help Henry have the best life he possibly can."

Reid stood up.

"I'll be back soon." Then he left. JJ sat there staring into the space that had once held Dr Spencer Reid. No further forward in understanding what was worrying her friend.

. . . . . . . . .

Nervously Reid knocked on the door. It had taken him 15 minutes to leave the car and pluck up the courage. The longer it took to get an answer, the closer he got to turning and running. What had got into him? Sue opened the door and then smiled at the fidgety mess on her doorstep.

"Joey's back at work this morning, can I help you Dr Reid?"

"I was hoping to speak to you, not Joey. It's nothing to do with the case. It's to do with something you said after the interview."

"Come in, I'll make coffee." Reid followed Sue through to the kitchen.

"Do you think I'm autistic?" he blurted out. Sue let out a quick chuckle and then a sigh. Turning to face the young doctor she gestured for him to sit. Typically direct she thought.

"That's a question I can't answer. Autism has a large range, as you know. Do you have traits? Yes I think so. Does that make you Autistic? Not necessarily. As I understand it, it is rare for adults to get a diagnosis, but if it will give you an answer then look into it. However it is just a word, a label. It doesn't change who you are." She turned to pour the coffee. She handed a large mug to Reid, who took it gratefully. He sat staring into the swirling liquid as he added sugar.

"How can we help Joey? I'm worried about him and this whole experience. He's lost his best friend."

"Sometimes Dr Reid being Autistic can be a blessing. Joey sees the world differently to you and me. I don't want you to think of him as emotionless, that's an unfortunate stereotype. However Joey is very matter of fact. He loved Charlotte. He appreciated her friendship. Joey accepts what has happened as a fact of life. Sometimes I do wonder what is going through his head. I'm lucky I have been given a set of keys which have unlocked many doors, just not every door. He'll be fine. I'll make sure he is."

. . . . . . . . .

Stepping back outside into the bright fall sunshine Reid walked slowly back to the vehicle.

"Hey kid, did that help?" Morgan was leaning up against the SUV. Reid stopped dead in his tracks.

"What are you doing here?"

"Thought you might like the company; our job here is just about done. It's time to wrap up and make our way home."

Reid handed Morgan the keys. Morgan watched him carefully as he got into the passenger seat; concerned by the look of concentration and confusion on the young agent's face. He wasn't going to push, but he wasn't going to leave him either.

As Morgan jumped into the driver's seat he turned and looked at Reid.

"You know we can talk, right?"

Reid nodded.


	11. Chapter 11

ASD

Disclaimer: I only own the ideas.

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The flight home was quiet. Reid enjoyed the near silence as he watched the clouds below. Morgan, in the corner and eyes shut, was listening to music. Hotch and JJ, sat at the table, had their heads down and were reading fresh files. Rossi was dozing with his laptop open. Prentiss was reading opposite Reid. As he surveyed the scene Prentiss looked up over her book at him.

"You OK?"

"Mmmm," Reid answered without listening. He continued scanning the cabin before glancing at the cover of her book.

Emily closed her book and put it down beside her. Looking directly at him she noticed how his eyes returned to flitting around the plane's cabin. He turned to look out of the window again. She could tell something was eating away at him. They had all noticed Reid was off pace but no-one had pushed him. They were family after all. You knew when to back off and give each other space; however right now Emily felt the need to reach out to Reid. She moved forward, closing the gap between them.

"Anything I can help with?" she whispered. She appreciated that this would not be a conversation for everyone to hear. Reid shrugged staring intently at the cloud formations. He didn't want to do this; not now, possibly never. The closeness of Prentiss made Reid feel more uncomfortable. Emily backed into her seat and lifted her book. She hoped JJ or Morgan may succeed where she had failed.

Being so far up in the sky did nothing to clear Reid's thoughts. He wanted to get back to 'normal', if he knew what that meant. Reid couldn't get Joey, or more to the point, his mother out of his mind. If he wasn't thinking about Joey and how he could help him; he was thinking about himself and whether he wanted to go further in finding out if he was on the spectrum. As he slowly drifted off to sleep his mind was mentally listing questions yet to be answered.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Reid had been quick to leave the team. He craved his own company tonight. The thought of drinks and their usual informal debriefing had sent shivers down his spine. He wasn't ready to let this be washed away in an alcoholic blur, not yet. He was more than aware that others had noticed his preoccupation. Yet this did not bother him. Usually he would beside himself with worry that the team thought his performance was under-par. Tonight others views were immaterial.

He considered returning home. However his apartment held little appeal. He didn't want to take his additional baggage home with him. He made his way to a quiet jazz bar; his guilty pleasure. As he settled in a booth with a large brandy he felt a calm that he hadn't felt in days. As he sipped his drink the clouds that had fogged his mind slowly showed signs of clearing. It was if he could start to make out shapes in the space ahead. Nothing was defined but it was no longer cloaked in darkness. He lost track of time as he tried to sort fact from fiction; myth from legend. He focussed first on Joey.

Joey had suffered. He had felt for him throughout the interview process. He was not happy with what Joey had gone through in the name of justice. Reid knew how the system worked. You had to look at the evidence. You had to interview the suspects. He could quote the statistic of how often the killer was a known to the victim. He could add to these facts about serial killers with various different learning difficulties and disabilities.

As he mentally sorted, filed and assessed the case he felt better than before. Reid realised he had reached the bottom of the glass. He stood to get a refill, letting the music carry his mood. Standing he came face to face with Morgan.

"You know how hard you are to find?"

Reid didn't know what to say. He stood opened mouth looking at his colleague.

"I take it you want another?" Taking the glass from Reid, Morgan headed to the bar as Reid slumped back down.

As Morgan eased himself into the booth he passed Reid his glass.

"What are you doing here?" Reid asked.

"Believe it or not we care for you and when you aren't sprouting random facts we worry."

"I'm fine, honest." Reid felt defensive. He hadn't sought the company of others. He hadn't asked Morgan to invade his personal time. Yet here he was.

"Kid, I'm not here to patronise. I'm here to listen. If you don't want to talk, fine. We'll still here in silence, enjoy the music, chill." Morgan paused "But if you need to share, I'm here." At which Morgan looked towards the stage and left Reid to think it through.

Sitting in silence for what seemed like forever both agents faced the current performers. Reid knew Morgan viewed him as a little brother. He had told Morgan more about himself than anyone else, even JJ. Yet he didn't know if he could tell him what was going through his mind at the moment. So they continued to watch, listen and appreciate. The melodies lifted and changed, yet their mood stay constant.

"Do you think I'm odd?" Reid finally asked.

"Sure, but I don't hold it against you. It makes you, you."

"You didn't meet Joey, the first suspect. He's Autistic. I found him really . . . interesting. His mum was great at supporting him and helping him. She was very patient and explained things so well." Reid paused realising he was rambling without getting close to a point. Briefly he looked up at Morgan, catching his eyes then looking away. "I think I meet a lot of the criteria."

"OK, so where do we go from here?"

"I need to decide if I want to chase a diagnosis."

"Do you?"

"I don't know. Joey's mum talked to me about Joey and her experience of Autism. It was fascinating but I don't know how relevant it is to me. I seem to fit some of the traits, and she agreed. Yet do I really fit into that category?"

"Do you need to fit into a category?" Morgan had long accepted that he didn't fit into anyone's ideal. He was him. He was happy with that. He was confident with himself. He equally knew Reid wasn't. He knew he wanted to be accepted. He knew he wanted to access the same social level as everyone else. He knew he craved understanding and explanations.

"Something Joey's mum said stuck with me. She said that Autism is just a word, a label. It doesn't change who you are. What do you think?"

"Honest. I think you are the most intelligent person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You amaze me day in day out. I respect you regardless of any label, name or anything else to care to give yourself. You are Dr Spencer Reid. You are my colleague. You are my friend. I respect your views. I appreciate your input. I am glad you are part of the team. I know I tease you, maybe I shouldn't. I will support you whatever you decide." Morgan took a large gulp of his Bourbon. "Another?" he added.

Reid nodded silently as he took on board what Morgan had just said to him. Morgan going to the bar was the breathing space he needed. However in the quiet bar Morgan was quick to return.

"So kid, any closer to a conclusion or do you need more time?"

"Part of me wants an answer. I need to know but logic tells me it will make no difference."

"Well in that case I would say it is your own personal journey. If you want a passenger, I'm here; however if you need the time on your own then so be it. Remember as Shakespeare said 'A rose by any other name smells as sweet.'" At which point Morgan downed his drink and left Reid to contemplate his future. Morgan appreciated that sometimes we need to be alone.

Reid sat the rest of the evening. By closing time he had decided he was himself. He had his demons yet he had faced plenty more and come out the other side. He had friends who cared for him. What more could he ask for? What difference would a diagnosis make? He was Dr Spencer Reid. He was unique. He finished his drink and returned home; knowing that Monday would bring a fresh set of challenges. Knowing that by the end of the next case one of his friends my need the support that had just been offered to him. Whatever next week held he was confident in the fact that they would face it together. As they always did. The BAU weren't just a team they were a family.

. . . . . . . . . . .

There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout:  
This is me damn it! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person, just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mould. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision.  
When you are strong enough to love yourself 100%, good and bad - you will be amazed at the opportunities that life presents you."

Stacey Charter

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Author's note

Thank you so much to everyone who has read my story and even more to those who have taken the time to review. I have tried to take on board what has been said to me, especially regarding punctuation, description and detail. Small steps have been take that will hopefully lead to larger leaps in the future.

There were times during writing this that I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew. I don't tend to write case fiction and found keeping a plot and characters going hard work. However I shall not give up and have ideas for another case fic in the New Year. In the meantime I have a Christmas Gift challenge and some one-shots to complete.

I am looking for a Beta for next time, so if anyone is interested please message me.

Thank you and Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.


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